


Square S3: Be Frenemies on Your Own Time

by dracusfyre



Series: Tony Stark Bingo Challenge [5]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Frenemies, FrostIron - Freeform, Loki and Stephen like to argue, M/M, background Loki/Tony, featuring That Wink from Infinity War, it's practically canon, or rather Stephen likes to get Loki riled up, we all saw Thor Ragnarok
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-07
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2019-05-16 15:08:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14813720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracusfyre/pseuds/dracusfyre
Summary: For Square S3: Date Night.  Loki and Stephen argue about magic until Tony kicks them out.From the Blood and Iron universe, a spiritual sequel to Sorcerers and Sarcasm and a missing scene from Tangled Webs, but can be read as a standalone.





	Square S3: Be Frenemies on Your Own Time

"Of course he's not a sorcerer," Loki said scornfully, and Stephen snorted.  Tony took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm himself from where he'd almost had a heart attack at the sudden appearance of Loki and Stephen in his living room.

"He's using magic, isn't he?"  Stephen followed as Loki crossed the room in long strides, heading for the liquor cabinet. "And not a magic object, either, he's clearly doing some sort of spell."

"And you think that's the only requirement to be a sorcerer?  That explains a great deal." Even Tony had to roll his eyes at the snide tone in Loki’s voice.

Stephen crossed his arms over his chest and raised his eyebrows. "I'm not saying he's a good sorcerer. But he's on the path.  He's taking energy and using it to reshape the universe to his will and that's sorcery."

“Hey, so what the hell are you guys talking about?” Tony edged his way between the pair, taking the bottle out of Loki’s hand and handing him a different one.  He poured himself and Stephen a glass of liquor rated for human consumption while Loki drank something he’d brought from Asgard.

“Your little spiderling found a magic user and was sensible enough to ask for help,” Loki said.  “As I was saying-”

“Spiderli- you mean Peter?” Tony blinked as all sorts of scenarios raced through his mind, ones dire enough that Peter would call Loki for help.  “How in the hell did the kid find a magic user? Is he ok?”

“He’s fine, or at least he was when he left.  The magic user-”

“The _sorcerer-_ ”

Finally Tony’s brain clicked. “Oh, do you mean Danny Rand? Peter was supposed to go meet him tonight.  He’s a magician?”

Stephen looked surprised. “That was Daniel Rand, the long lost billionaire? Huh.”  He scratched at his goatee thoughtfully.  “Not what I expected, but ok.”

“I’m sorry, is he supposed to be someone important?” Loki said impatiently, apparently in a Mood. “And he is no magician. He simply has the ability to concentrates power into his hand, which can then be used either to attack or to heal. It can only be used once, and then he must rest and regather his power.”

Tony gasped dramatically, clutching his hand to his chest.  “Another billionaire superhero? Asshole is stealing my schtick!”

“He even calls himself the Iron Fist.  But you can never be replaced in our hearts, Tony,” Stephen promised, raising his glass to clink it against Tony’s before turning back to the argument with Loki.  “When you describe it like that, you are implying that the number of times you can use power is important, but that is just a matter of practice and stamina.” 

Tony refilled his glass and made his way back to his tablet on the couch; this conversation sounded like it was going to last a while. Behind him, Loki said, “No, the fact that this man is not using the power of the universe is what is important.  He has made an energy storage device out of his body and is using that instead. It’s a critical difference between a sorcerer and a simple magic user.”

“I don’t see how,” Stephen said.  “Energy is energy.”  Tony looked over his shoulder at Stephen incredulously; he didn’t know much about magic beyond what he’d learned in casual conversation with Loki, but even _he_ knew a statement like that was inflammatory.  When Loki closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, Stephen winked at Tony and flashed him a grin.

“Oh my God,” Tony muttered under his breath, smiling, as he turned back to his work.  As they argued they gradually migrated over to the couch on the other side of the room, one or the other of them standing occasionally as they sketched out a diagram or equation in the air.  Tony did his best to tune them out, but when Loki said something about a “puerile display of power” he lost his patience.

“Alright you guys, take it somewhere else,” he said, standing to shoo them off the couch. “Your frenemy dates are exhausting and I’ve got work to do.”  

Tony didn't pay much attention to where they went after that, because he finally had some peace and quiet. That is, until he got a call a few hours later from both the Federal Aviation Administration and the local police department asking him to cease and desist lighting fireworks from the roof of his tower, so then he had to shoo them from there as well.  "Don't  _you_ have a home?" he asked Stephen pointedly, since he was the only one that looked in the least abashed for causing chaos in the flight lanes over central Manhattan. As he was stomping back across to the access stairs he saw that they must have gotten the hint because Stephen was cutting an orange circle in the air and then they both vanished.

**Author's Note:**

> I probably spend too much time thinking about the metaphysics of magic in the MCU. :/ But you know what's great about Bingo challenges? I can be ridiculously self indulgent and not worry about whether a bit of dialogue or a scene is contributing to the overall story. \o/


End file.
